Surgeon in the White City
by Doragon Eichi
Summary: The Industrial Revolution smothers Equestria, and the only way to gain the resources needed to power the giant machines being created is by pleasing the mountain owning Gryphon Empire. But when Celestia holds a grand fair for the Empire in Canterlot, murders become rampant, and the new secret service and the Twilight Sparkle must uncover the murderer before more ponies are lost.
1. Prologue

How easy it was to take over:

Thousands of ponies enter and exit Canterlot every day. Many of these ponies were the rich, the influential ponies who held so much sway over the masses, hoping to add even more riches to their inflated wealth, despite the fierce competition of hundreds of nobles attempting to do the same. And there were many that were attempting to gain a new life from farming, aspiring to reach the status of nobility. Nobility went out seeking business and social gatherings everywhere in the white city of Canterlot. And with so many trying to strike it rich in the city deaths and accidents quickly caught up.

You could step off the curb of the street and get hit by a Canterlot Taxi. At least two nobles a day would be killed in a crossing accident. At least one would find his or herself in front of the new railroad carts. Bits and pieces would be found for the next few days. Fires would take dozens of lives, and at least one would get shot. With all these deaths, one would assume something odd is going on and perhaps Canterlot is not safe. But the lure of power and money was too great for most ponies, and still the familiar sound of new hooves hitting the pavement echoed through the city of Canterlot.

But something disturbing arose as more and more continued to come.

The Old Money, as they were favorably called by the regular citizens of Canterlot, were slowly being picked away. Those who had grown up within the old society of Equestria, and who had taken to the lessons of friendship to heart, were slowly being replaced by those who had grown up with the new capitalist system in their minds and souls. Even with the newly established secret service, sworn to protect all the citizens of Equestria, the murders and accidents continued. But no pony in Equestria could possibly conceive that these incidents had all been planned. No pony had ever been born who was so sadistic and mad as to plot the deaths of the country's beloved nobility.

So one afternoon, when a young handsome surgeon, his horn glowing as he picked up his suit case, stepped off the train and into a world full of steam, smoke, clamor, danger, and endless possibilities. He looked around the crowded platform, and watched with glee, the moving forms of mares and children. How their legs moved with simple grace, the muscle underneath pushing against the skin. And the blood coursing through their entire bodies. He licked his lips as sniffed the scent of smoke, sweat, and scent on the train platform. He began to walk away, the large coat masking his mismatched limbs from the general public, and smiling happily. He would like it here.

For it was easy to disappear, to fake emotion, and so very easy in the smoke, clamor, and din to mask that something sinister and deadly had taken root in the heart of the kingdom that worshiped kindness and friendship.

This was Canterlot, on the eve of the greatest event of Equestrian history.


	2. Chapter One: Arrival

"Wake up Miss Twilight. We've arrived."

Twilight grunted in acknowledgement as she slowly awoke, light assailing her eyes as she looked through the carwindow. The entrance to the Canterlot Palace laid plain in sight, opening as the car shuddered before stopping. She sat up, rubbing her eyes and yawned silently as the driver opened the door, chuckling softly. "Do you require aid, Miss Twilight?" She blushed softly, and offered her hoof. He gently lowered her down to the pavement and smiled brightly at her. His wings twitched softly as she smiled back.

"Thank you, sir. It was very kind of you to drive me to Canterlot all the way through all that traffic." The driver shook his head as he closed her door.

"It really wasn't a problem. It was an honor on my part to drive you to the palace…I know you'll make us proud Miss Twilight. You've always done Equestria well!" Twilight blushed a bit more, bowing her head.

"I'll try not to disappoint. I apologize, but I must meet with the princess."

"I understand. Be safe and good luck!" He climbed back into the taxi, and Twilight watched it chug away back into the busy streets of Canterlot before entering the castle. Two guards nodded at her appearance, and she nodded back, following the route towards the throne room of the two princesses'. She bit her lip nervously, the thoughts which had been driven back by sleep had come back to plague her mind.

"What if I'm not ready," She sighed, endless amount of worrying thoughts crossing her mind as she approached the doorway, now in sight. She shook her head, and lifted her head. She had saved Equestria several times, and was one of the most powerful Unicorn in modern history, and had spent countless nights researching every topic she could possibly need for the job. She was ready! That mindset ran through her mind and empowered her confidence, so when the guards opened the door way for her, she stood proud and tall, an aura of extreme confidence exuding from her body.

Which was then crushed by the glares of a dozen Pegasi and Unicorns in the room.

"Twilight Sparkle," One of them sniffed, his head held higher than what Twilight thought necessary.

"Enough," Luna growled, cowing the old Unicorn. "She is here and you will all accept it." The group grumbled, but didn't speak a word. Twilight looked away from the old Pegasi and Unicorns and smiled softly at Celestia, who had risen. A warm glow enveloped Twilight as she felt her teacher look upon her.

"I'm glad you could make it here so quickly, Twilight. We have much to plan." Twilight walked up to her, nodding.

"I agree, we only have six months until the Grand Opening!"

"So we are questioning why you have introduced a new member so late," The same Unicorn who had spoken up muttered darkly.

"Shut up Sullivan. No one cares if you were punted to adviser. She doesn't look as incompetent as you've made her out to be. She looks like she'll add a flair that the fair needs."

"My building was grand and new! Better than anything that amateur can design!"

"It was ugly and an atrocity," He retorted, silencing Sullivan for a moment.

"Thank you, Burnham," Celestia emphasis on her words guaranteed they were all quiet. "Now, you all know your places. The land has finished construction, and your buildings have already been designed. You will start construction today."

"You will have all the resources you need. Report anything you require to a guardsman, and you will have it as quickly as we can procure it. Now everypony besides Olmstead. Get out," Luna ordered. They trotted out, each one discussing their plans excitedly except Sullivan, who looked back with snort before the gates slammed in his face.

"What's his problem," Twilight wondered aloud, causing all three of them to sigh.

"Scraper Sullivan. He's the architect who designed all the Cloudscrapers in Manehattan, Baltimare, and New Pegasus. We invited him here, but…he doesn't have the look we are looking for. We demoted him for you Twilight, and he hasn't been happy about it." Celestia sat back down. tapping her hoof against her throne, her tired face showing how much stress she has been going through recently. She even looked more tired than Luna, who was staying up far later than usual.

"Princess," Olmstead asked, shifting his eyes between the two of them.

"Olmstead, if you would be so kind to show Twilight what you've done? We've already cleared a space for the building she sent in but we want her to see what you've done. And who knows, maybe she could improve on it." Olmstead snorted in good humor and nodded.

"I'll do it. Though I'd have to doubt that she could improve upon my designs for they are near flawless, as I have assured you time and time again."

"Pride will lead you to dark places, Olmstead. Remember that," Luna cautioned before turning to Twilight. "Please follow Mr. Olmstead. He'll be your guide for the grounds. Work hard," Luna ordered, waving the two away.

"And have fun," Celestia said warmly, smiling brightly at the two of them.

"We will. Thank you Princesses," Twilight replied as the two walked away, escorted by several guardsmen. Twilight looked over, getting a better look at Olmstead now that she wasn't distracted by the two ruling bodies of Equestria. He was clearly an old Unicorn, with a dusty brown mane with streaks of gray streaming through his cropped mane, and thick bags under his eyes. A nice pressed gray suit covered his body, as was common in Canterlot nowadays. But even with age haunting him, he still exuded an experienced aura about him. He clearly knew what he was doing.

"So, Mr. Olmstead, what do you do?"

"Me? Why Twilight, as a scholar I'm surprised you've not heard of me."

"A little pretentious, don't you think," Twilight quipped, before covering her mouth with a bright blush. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm just used to being around the snobs of Canterlot…Not that I'm implying you are one! Because that would be-"Olmstead laughed, placing a hoof on her shoulder, stopping the walk for moment until Twilight had calmed down enough to breathe properly.

"It's alright, I understand. I don't like to consider myself as part of the nobility, but I've designed many things that you've probably seen before. The Canterlot Gardens, new parts of Cloudsdale, Left Park in Manehattan, and the list goes on." Twilight blinked rapidly, her eyes wide.

"You designed all of those things? But…I thought you were an architect?"

"A landscape architect, Twilight Sparkle. I design the land to make it as lovely to the pony eye as can be. And I dare say I've been quite successful in that endeavor. But this…this is my masterpiece. I hope that this project will be the one I'm remembered for once Celestia takes me." They had already walked from the palace, with Olmstead having guided them to the very edge of Canterlot. Twilight looked around, and even looked down, but saw nothing.

"Mr. Olmstead?"

"Wrong way, Twilight," He chuckled, pointing up. Twilight shifted her eyesight up, her mouth wide open. What she thought was a huge cloud cover was actually the grounds of the most magnificent fair ever to be designed by the pony race. Streams of Rainbows arched off the edge of the cloud landscape that hung right above her. It could have almost been mistaken for Cloudsdale, but there was something thick about the clouds. Something that perfectly represented the new and improved feelings of the new age in Equestria, like the clouds themselves believed that they were better than any other cloud. And it wasn't just the clouds themselves. Instead of the familiar look of cloud buildings on top, they sagged as workers began construction of wooden and steel buildings, as another crew constructed a bridge to connect the mysterious land to Canterlot.

"Mr. Olmstead…What is this?"

"The impossible, Twilight Sparkle. There was nowhere in Equestria that could have held what we needed to impress the Gryphon King. So I've created a place. I've named it…The Magic City. And that is the place we will hold the first Equestrian Trade Exposition."


	3. Chapter 2: The Game Begins

"I hope you rot 'detective'," The mare screamed behind her as she stormed out of a small building. It was bland and windowless, with no decorations apart from a small door. The fact that most ponies considered the door a decoration to the building spoke to how drab the place was. But the ponies inside were certainly quite colorful shown by a light brown Pegasus who ran out of the door, throwing a giant file which slammed into the mare's head, shoving her into the ground.

"There's all your stuff. Lord, am I glad to get rid of you! You were useless! So blind you couldn't find a bloody knife in the Royal Throne Room! Get out of here!"

The mare cursed, picking up the hefty file and galloped away, screaming curses that were clearly aimed at the smirking Pegasus.

A Unicorn cantered up behind him and sighed.

"That's the third one this week. You really need to stop doing these things."

"I can't offer critique on my own assistant now? What has the world come to?"

"You called her a boring, blind, terrible, disgrace of a detective who couldn't find a needle in a needle factory. Oh, I forgot. Then you looked at her findings and spat on them then ripped them to pieces and then threw them at her," He raised his eyebrow and poked him. "That isn't critique."

"They didn't offer anything! We knew it all already! Ponies are vanishing left and right and we are left in the dust every single time. I don't understand it," He growled.

"Now isn't the time to think about. You got a meeting with the Princess' today, remember?"

"Aw, damn it. I need an assistant too, or Celestia will give me another speech…I'll see you later! Clean up the office will you? The CI:7 can't work in a dump!" The Pegasus shook his blonde mane, and his piercing blue eyes scanned the skies before taking off.

"Damn you Façade! You make everything a mess in there!" The Unicorn called out angrily. Façade just laughed and flew towards the palace, scanning the ground for anything remotely interesting. He quickly found it in the form of a teenage dragon wandering the streets of Canterlot. His purple scales glowed magnificently in the bright sun, and his green spines stood up straight and proudly. "Well, well…I better check this out," He muttered, his previous sense of urgency forgotten as his curiosity took over. He floated down in front of the dragon and stuck out his hoofs, stopping the dragon in his tracks.

"Why hello there!"

Spike was having a bad day. After Twilight left him to unpack in the apartment, apologizing for leaving him but saying 'The invitation strictly called for me Spike and I can't bring a guest along! Think of the chaos!' He was left with nothing to do after unpacking the loads of books and materials that his friend had brought along. Tired of waiting for her, he left the apartment only to find nothing for the dragon to do in Canterlot. This being due to the lack of bits and only drawing odd glances that he could never escape. And now this odd Pegasus landed in front of him annoying him even further. This day could not possibly get any worse.

"What do you want," Spike grumbled. "I've got things to do."

"It seems so. That's why you've been walking around Canterlot aimlessly for a while." Façade commented, causing Spike's distrust to flare.

"What? How do you know that? Have you been watching me?"

He snorted and rolled his eyes. "Oh please, I would never stoop to stalking someone! How droll. No, there is a light coating of ash on your scales which means you've been to the east side of Canterlot, but you haven't coughed once since I've been talking to you so that means you didn't stay long. You smell distinctly of perfume which means you've been recently walking through the crowded streets of west side Canterlot for a bit. But you don't don any clothes nor do you seem to stick your head up everywhere you go, so you can't have been here too long. That means you've been up to nothing besides walking around!"

Spike's eyes twitched and he waited for a few moments before countering, falling into Façade's trap. "And what if I have a lot of business around all of Canterlot and you are impeding my ability to get to where I need to be?"

He smiled sweetly before launching into another explanation. "Also impossible for your hands are evenly coated with ash as the rest of your body. That means you can't have handled anything in the east side of Canterlot. The fact that you didn't do anything in the east side makes it obvious you aren't doing anything over here for nopony wastes time in Canterlot!...Well anypony that isn't any fun. Now, how was that," He asked curiously, smiling deviously at the taller dragon.

Spike was in shock. He was right and that made him quite interested in what he had to say. He was more observant than his OCD caretaker for goodness sake!

"Alright…you have my attention. What do you want?"

"I need an assistant! And by that distinct darkened area on the tip of your claws I'd assume you write a lot! Your eyes should be sharp and I bet since you scales shine quite well even underneath that coating of dust that you scrub them vigorously which means either you or someone you live with is a little OCD! Which means you'll be able to spot oddities in this perfectly normal city," He stuck out his hoof, wrapping it around Spike's arm and began to lead him towards the castle. "You'll love your new job! Better than the 8 who came before you for sure!"

"Whoa! I can't just go running off! I have things to do!"

"I thought we already established that you don't," He said exasperated.

"Well…"

"Fine, I have one more trick to show you." The Pegasus stopped and turned around, looking deep into Spike's eyes. In a moment he began to speak and Spike's world stopped.

The voice that flowed out of his mouth was one of a god that not even Celestia's voice could compare to. It was beyond his level of comprehension, the musical and magical voice that was directed towards him. He couldn't resist the single command that it spoke over and over. He needed to do this. It was his destiny. He must go to the Canterlot Palace with this Pegasus.

Façade looked over the dragon to make sure he was properly hypnotized and smiled. "Well excellent! My new assistant! My name's Façade! I'll learn yours once you snap out of it," he said with great humor as he walked along towards the palace with a drooling dragon wandering dragon after him.

This truly wasn't a good day for Spike.

He walked into the Throne Room, smiling brightly at the two princesses'. Only Celestia smiled back. "Hello princesses. You called?" He asked, with Spike slowly dragging his feet into the room.

"About twenty minutes ago..." Luna murmured before spotting Spike. She blinked and turned to Celestia. "Sister?"

"I'll get to it…So Façade…Why do you have Twilight Sparkle's dragon hypnotized and following you around?"

Façade laughed and poked Spike. "This is Twilight Sparkle's assistant? Makes sense! I was right about that OCD after all!" He cackled.

Celestia sighed and rubbed her muzzle. "Do you need him?"

"I would like to say so."

"Then I shall ask Twilight for her permission to borrow Spike for now. Now, is there anything new on the case? Have you figured anything out at all?"

Façade sighed and shook his head, his smile replaced with a grimace.

"No. I've not found a single thing. I can't find any evidence pointing to anything…But it would help if you started trusting me and gave me a first look at the scene. I can't find the small traces if the Royal Guard have stomp out every single piece!"

Luna growled and slammed her hoof on the throne. "Trust you? You've done nothing but demand more and more from us! And for what? Nothing. Ponies keep vanishing and ponies are starting to panic," Luna rose and began to approach Façade who stood his ground. "What are you doing that is keeping our ponies safe from harm?"

"Everything I can," He responded simply. "I took this job because I care for everypony. And I will capture this fiend in any way I can. But this pony is smart. He covers his tracks well. You must believe in me Princess Luna. Without your help I can't win this battle. I need your trust."

"What have you done to earn it?" She demanded.

"I volunteered for this job. I swore the oath didn't I? To serve the Throne whenever I am called upon. Here I am now."

Luna sighed and backed away from him as Celestia rose, walking to her sister's side. "We do trust you Façade. We are understandably distraught about the disappearances, but I have full faith you will be able to do something about them." Both Façade and Luna nodded their heads, with Spike still drooling next to Façade. "Now, we've received news that another pony has been kidnapped. Same thing as before. Mare, no children, married and young. A butler reported her missing after she didn't return to the home after three days. The husband is on a business trip in Baltimare. The Royal Guard has not been mobilized so you have a good 30 minutes before they arrive. We can't hold them too long before the public thinks we are getting slow. Go now, and please don't forget we are counting on you Façade."

"Of course Princess…So I can keep Spike?" A small smile returned as he waved his hoof in front of Spike jerking him awake.

"Where am I…Celestia? Luna!? What-"

"Relax Spike. We've just been assigned a job! Isn't that great?" Façade elbowed his new partner as he stared dumbstruck at the two sheepish princesses.

"Façade is a good pony. And you two are going to help Equestria. I wish you two the best of luck," Celestia said quickly before pushing them out of the throne room with magic. Spike's eyes twitched as Façade chuckled.

"Well, partner. Shall we get to the crime site?" Façade walked down towards the entrance with Spike following after him.

"Why in Celestia's name am I following you?"

"That my friend, I can't answer for you. Perhaps we will figure that out later. But for now we need to get to the crime scene quickly. You can fly right," He asked turning around as they exited the Palace.

"Sure. Learned a few months ago," Spike answered, unfolding his wings. They were tinted a shade of purple, and unfolded into a nice length. Façade nodded and unfolded his own wings. The two took off together and flew off. After a few moments Spike turned to Façade. "Where are we going?"

"Excellent question. I have no idea," He chuckled and scanned the region. "If I were to guess it would be where a good amount of ponies are gathered…Ah! That gigantic mansion!"

"Which one?"

"The horribly ugly pink one."

"…Ew."

"Indeed. Now let's go through the back. Don't want everypony thinking the mansion is open." Façade commented as he leaned forward, landing neatly in the backyard of the mansion. Spike landed next to him and both went forward towards the door. It was already slightly open. Façade and Spike looked at each other before Spike pushed it open.

"Odd…You'd think somepony would lock their back doors." Spike murmured as he walked in. Façade followed, looking at the doorway for a moment before nodding. He and Spike wandered around the large mansion, eyeing anything that looked odd or out of place. However it all looked pristine and perfectly in order with no evidence of a struggle or argument, as if the mare had simply walked out with the kidnapper. "Are all the crime scenes like this? It looked like she never existed…"

"Yes…But perhaps we will find more upstairs." He walked up stairs and scouted around until he found the missing mare's room. He found that it was unlocked, and opened the door, entering the room. It looked quite normal, with ugly pink walls and slightly messy pink sheets and a blue vase with a single rose on a nearby counter. He raised his eyebrow before Spike followed him inside. Spike caught on the moment he saw the room.

"The vase doesn't fit the color scheme of the room."

"Right Spike. This mare seemed obsessed with pink yet a blue vase sits before us. A gift then, from somepony who has never seen the room...She is married and young…Clever, little twit she was. She has a suitor."

"How can you tell from just a single vase?"

"It's not just the vase. The door in the back. She may have opened it when he came in the back and didn't close it completely. And look around the house. It looks like it has never even been lived in. Like she cleaned up the house so much to look like nothing has gone wrong."

"Could have been the butler," Spike commented. "The butler lived here for three days before he reported anything."

"Perfectly true Spike. But then why are the sheets here still messy? Unlikely the butler slept in here. Most likely the butler took three days off before getting worried." Façade hoofed the ground in thought and continued on. "It makes sense. All the other victims were young and married and most likely the kidnapper tricked them into thinking he was their suitor. Easy way to get into a girl's trust and the mare would make sure he would never be spotted. He probably took her out of the house on a date and that's when he took her!"

"Wow…you're like those ponies you read in the detective novels…" Spike whispered in a small amount of awe.

"Thank you Spike, I always enjoy compliments. However, this doesn't offer too much. She would have made sure nopony spots her with him and that neither of them would leave behind any evidence about where they were headed…" Façade frowned as he paced the carpet, before he spotted something odd. "Spike, is that a hoofprint?"

Spike looked over and nodded. "A large one. He was probably waiting for her to freshen up and stood here for a while. Rarity makes me do that all the time."

"But then…why is there a smaller hoofprint behind it? And a medium sized one next to it? And…a gryphon's foot there…" Façade murmured as he looked down.

"I think you are looking at it wrong Façade. That isn't possible; they would only be standing on one leg because those are the only set of prints around," Spike said scratching his head in confusion.

"No…I've been looking at hoofprints for a long time Spike. I'm not mistaken."

"But…that would mean…"

"Yes. This pony has different hooves…On each leg." Spike grew a little green and shivered as Discord flashed into his mind. But he was in stone…

"What are we dealing with here?" Spike whispered.

"Something I've never seen before." Façade replied quietly.


End file.
